New members looking for some info on LTD-163D

[[LdFg]]

Hi!

I was looking for some info on my new ltd-163d on the net caus it made a weird sound when I load a cd/dvd in it. I read it was normal. But what really suprised me is that any DVD plays choppy when using this drive. I'm using an ATA100 IDE cable and the dvd is alone on the secondary IDE channel as Master.

So i figured maybe I should update the firmware and see how it goes then. Ive searched the forum but couldnt find the answers to these questions:

1-Was the choppyness an issue corrected by the new firmwares?
2- What is the difference beetween the GRH versions?(is it the same firmware update with the program recoded?or is it a new firmware update?)
3- The firmware in GRH is made by liteon or by someone else?
4-which GRH should I use?


Thanx in advance for the help!

[cfitz]

Do you have DMA enabled on the drive? What OS are you using? What hardware does your system have (processor, speed, video card)? What DVD player software are you using? When you say choppy, do you mean jerky, choppy movement only, or do you mean that the screen actually breaks into nasty green blocks?

cfitz

[[LdFg]]

Duron 1.2gz,512mb ram,A7v133, win XP,power dvd. The other dvd drive i had didnt lag at all when playing dvd's on same system.Choppy as in framerate going under 24 fps.

[BuddhaTB]

Your system specs are more than enough to handle smooth DVD playback. However, you forgot to mention what video card you have or is it an integrated video chip? If the drivers for your video card can be updated, I would try that out. I would also try enabling DMA if you haven't done so. Another suggestion might be to close all non-essential applications that are running in the background, as they can cause lowered system performance.

How To Enable DMA in Windows XP

[cfitz]

What BuddhaTB said... (gotta act fast around here)

I'm hoping this is a simple issue of DMA being disabled when you swapped in the new drive. If everything worked fine with the previous drive in the system, then DMA being disabled when you installed the new drive seems like the only reasonable explanation.

cfitz

[[LdFg]]

Just checked...and DMA is enabled!

if I flash it maybe itl work better, but noone answered my question about the firmwares (caus If i flash with a unofficial firmware and give it back @ the store they wont take it!)

[BuddhaTB]

What BuddhaTB said... (gotta act fast around here)

He's getting quality help in a reasonable amount of time, which is all good.

[cfitz]

The official firmware download page is:

http://www.jlms.com.tw/download.htm

Unfortunately, it is under construction right now. You might be better off going to Dimitri's page anyway:

http://digitri.tk/

Have you tried doing a data transfer rate test on the new drive using CD Speed ( www.cdspeed2000.com )?

cfitz

[[LdFg]]

I dled Nero CD Speed like U said and ran it with 2 original movies on DVD and it gave me an error saying "read of scrambled sector without authorisation".I presume this is normal since the vobs are usually encrypted.When i put a VCD i made it crashed: the window "speeding drive" opens, my drive start sinning, and then it just hangs on that window, never displaying "time left".
I put a copy of madden 2k3 and everything went well.I got :
SPEED: Average :34.51 , start : 22.79 , end : 44.09, Type CAV
DISC: type:data CD, length :55:43.58
SEEK TIMES: Random :85ms, 1/3:107ms, full 185ms
CPU usage : 1x 0%, 2x 1%, 4x 3%,8x 5%
INTERFACE: Burst rate :21MB[/list]

[cfitz]

Well, the transfer rates on the CD do indicate that DMA is properly enabled. Otherwise you never would have made it to 44x. It would still be worthwhile to check the DVD transfer rates. To get around the encryption, put the DVD in, start PowerDVD, begin playing the DVD (making sure to get to the main, encrypted feature), then stop playing but don't exit PowerDVD. Then run CD Speed's transfer rate test.

What is your CPU usage while playing back the DVD with jerky, choppy playback?

cfitz

[[LdFg]]

I ran power dvd, closed it, then cdspeed...and it started at 3.57x and very slowly going up.Its been 2 mins and now its 4.5x.

could it be the drive is defective?

[cfitz]

Is the DVD single layer or dual layer? If it is dual layer, those figures aren't unreasonable. It should be faster for a single layer disc, though.

However, the transfer rates are still well in excess of what you need to play back the movie smoothly, at least on a long-term average basis. (A short interruption in the transfer could result in some choppiness). How does the transfer rate curve look? Is it smooth, or rough?

How about the CPU usage I asked in my last post?

cfitz

[[LdFg]]

CPU usage while playing a dvd is 31%.
heres a link to my ftp for the curve: ftp://123:123@metalvideos.ath.cx:80
And strangely i switched dvd (now its Paul macrtney back in the us) and it isnt choppy! It was choppy for LOTR:FOTR ED and Glengarry Glenn Ross.

and could u answer my questions about about the firmware update?

[cfitz]

CPU usage while playing a dvd is 31%.
heres a link to my ftp for the curve: ftp://123:123@metalvideos.ath.cx:80

The CPU usage does leave you headroom, although it is fairly busy. Did you mis-type the address for the curve? I couldn't download the file.

And strangely i switched dvd (now its Paul macrtney back in the us) and it isnt choppy! It was choppy for LOTR:FOTR ED and Glengarry Glenn Ross.

Was the CPU usage you quoted for the choppy or unchoppy DVD? I am assuming that all three of these DVD's played smoothly on your old DVD drive. When you were using the old drive, were you also using PowerDVD?

and could u answer my questions about about the firmware update?

I did, albeit indirectly:

http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic. ... 7097#47097

cfitz

[[LdFg]]

ftp://123:123@metalvideos.ath.cx:1343

wrong port...sry!

[cfitz]

That curve looks great. Nice and smooth, and good transfer rates for a dual-layer DVD. I don't think this problem has anything to do with your drive. From everything you have shown me it seems to be performing well.

You might try downloading a trial version of WinDVD to see if it plays back better than PowerDVD.

http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/Home.jsp

cfitz

[[LdFg]]

nope.the choppyness is still here.

ill flash the drive then see what happens.

[[LdFg]]

flashed the drive in dos to ghr6 and it still is choppy.

I used smartripper to copy the dvd to my hd and realised that even when i played the movie from my hd it still was choppy.So its not the dvd but my voodoo Banshy PCI that cant handle the stream.But thats fukedup caus i never had a problem reading a dvd from my hd or my old dvd drive before.The one thing is that these 2 dvds that are playing choppy were released not long ago, and must have a really high bitrate that my card can't handle. Im gonna clarify everything tomorow. Ill install the drive on this comp (1.8gz p4,789mb ddr 266, ati AIW Radeon..) and see if it still chops.

[dimitri]

Try to make it easier on your video card.
Set resolution 800x600, color depth 16bit (you won't see a diff with 32) and refresh rate 75.

If that solves the problem, you can set Powerdvd to automatically switch to these settings when playing dvd's and return to your normal settings on exit.

[Action Jackson]

The noise on spinup is part of the auto balancing system and it's a normal but annoying part of the 163D that I also own.

I don't know if this is part of XP's features, but in Win98SE, if you click on System Properties -> Performance -> File System -> CD ROM, set the cache to max [or experiment yourself] and the speed to Quad Speed or Higher.

I don't have the lag or choppiness you describe. I did read in the LiteON forums that someone disabled Auto Insert Notification and it worked for them.

I was considering a Sigma Hollywood+ decoder card b/c the 163D light seems to almost be constantly blinking.

[[LdFg]]

I installed the drive on my other comp, tryed to watch a dvd , but the sound is unbearable.This drive has to be the noisiest drive I have ever heard.Im returning it today.

[Action Jackson]

That's too bad. Although it isn't the quietest, it's not the noisiest either and my air cooled system is fairly quiet.

You must be running water cooling right?

[[LdFg]]

nope..im running the standart Intel fan on my P4 + I have an Enermax FS-710 case (http://www.enermax.com.tw/product-04.htm).

My other DVD is a pioneer 115GA and its noiseless compared to the 163D.

I changed my 163d for a 166S. It is quieter but the motor still makes a loud sound when starting to spin.I think im just gonna bring it back and get me another Pioneer 115 or 105S (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PioneerCanadaEng/CDA/Industrial/POC_Eng_IndustrialProductDetails/0,1869,790,00.html)

[dimitri]

The Pioneer 115, and even more so, the 105 are *much* noisier than Liteon in the same acoustic environment. Especially when playing movies.

The 116 is the quietest Pioneer so far but still, next to a 166 is noisier at most situations. You want quiet? look for an old 8x24x Samsung or a Tosh. You can't spin a cd to 11Krpm quietly (Even hdd's are not quiet at 10k rpm). Liteon does it most of the time quiter and with less vibrations than others. Its auto balancing system is very good but the spin up/down noise of the balls irritates many owners. It's not the db, it's the kind of sound.

[[LdFg]]

I have my old 115-GA installed on my comp and in my opinion it really makes no-sound compared to the 163d and 166s.Actually the fans in my case are as loud as the pioneer.

I also tried the 116 and this one was also really noisy.Its a pain when looking for a dvd drive caus wherever I go I can't test it on location.Ive returned atleast 6 dvd rom drives in the past 2 months.The search still goes on!:)

Does anyone have any suggestions on the quietest 16x drive on the market?